There was a problem loading your book clubs. In The Gods Are Not to Blame, Rotimi gives the ageless story a new spin, with a fresh perspective that makes his book a classic. Indeed, culture is the way of life. Ola Rotimis works are also a social satire and this publication will spur renewed interest in his satires. Simply suggest, the use of language is part of culture. Odewale was in touch with his supernatural side, and was quick to call on Ogun, going so far as to swear on the deity which eventually led to his downfall. , Word Wise Line: 315 Previous page. Gbonka: The former messenger of the late King Adetusa. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. In an attempt to end this plague, king Odewale sent Aderopo (the son of late king Adetusa) to Ile-Ife in order to make enquires concerning the sufferings of the land and its inhabitants. Odewale confesses that his life spiraled out of control when he killed a man. Aderopo: Brother of Odewale, and son of King Adetusa and Ojuola. Call up your raw anger, and in the blind-ness of it, strike me dead! Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2018, Good historical novel by a great writer. Odewale finds out that the man who is cursed killed King Adetusa I. 840 Ratings. Barbara Goff and Michael Simpson 2007: c2 92-93. After two years have passed, Obatala, the god of creation made the queen of kutuje conceive again, and this time she gave birth to another male child which the royal family named Aderopo. He brings his sick children for the town to see, that way they know that his family is also suffering. Rotimi, in response to the Nigerian Civil War, says that the root cause of the strife among Nigerians, of the bloodshed, was in their lingering mutual ethnic distrust which culminate in open hostility. It is comical and the language used is a version of "Nigerian English" (for example: "Se you get?" ASIN The King expresses sympathy to the townspeople for the illness that has been plaguing them. While this book has certain similarities to the original Greek story, it finds its own originality by adding different elements and characters to the story. Line: 479 His father father does to Odewale what European colonizers did to Africa. Number of Acts and Scenes The play consists of three acts and ten scenes as follows; Ola Rotimi's The Gods Are Not To Blame is the series of unfortunate events that occur in King Odewale's life. Later, Ojuola explains that Baba Fakunle made her kill her first born son, convinced that her first son had brought bad luck. Please try again. Odewale begins to make accusations of a plot being made against him, spearheaded by Aderopo, to one of the village chiefs in response to Baba Fakunle's silence. An adaptation of the Greek classic Oedipus Rex, set in an indeterminate period of a Yoruba kingdom, the story centers on Odewale, who is lured into a false sense of security, only to somehow get caught up in a somewhat consanguineous trail of events. He also produced Tororo Tororo roro, a play of the Absurd, as a convocation play. The Gods are not to blame was first performed in Nigeria at the Ife Festival of the Arts in 1968, has since been staged with great success across Africa Europe and the USA 88 pages, Kindle Edition Published November 26, 2017 Book details & editions About the author Ola Rotimi 21 books101 followers Les avis ne sont pas valids, mais Google recherche et supprime les faux contenus lorsqu'ils sont identifis. Hazel (his wife) died and Ola Rotimi returned from her funeral in the US to the dream home they built in Ile Ife, only to die in it from heart failure two months later. A blind soothsayer, Baba Fakunle, is brought in to share with Odewale the murderer of the old king. 87 pages. , File size Rotimi was one of the clutch of prominent Nigerian playwrights who emerged in West Africa in the 1960s, the most notable being Soyinka. The names of the children are: Adewale, Adebisi, Oyeyemi and Adeyinka. Hi members please help me on this question: You are Ogun priest after you discover that Odewale is the boy that was to be sacrifificed in the evil grove. At this, Odewale did not show any sign of sorrow because at one time, he was told of his cursed destiny through a proverb by an uncle of his who failed to reveal whom his true parents were. His dream of directing a play of 5000 cast members materialized at the Amphi Africa Theater when he was being put to rest as the crowd was drawn to a manuscript of the day's program outline. Odewale closes the play by stating, the gods have lied Nathaniel. In the Yoruban culture, like many others, have symbolic. Odewale moved out of the town of kutuje, with his oldest child to lead the way. [1] An adaptation of the Greek classic Oedipus Rex, the story centres on Odewale, who is lured into a false sense of security, only to somehow get caught up in a somewhat consanguineous trail of events by the gods of the land.[2]. When Alaka reminded him of their encounter in the past, the truth was exposed that Odewale is indeed the son of the late Adetusa, the king of kutuje whom he himself (Odewale) murdered on his farmland. Your email address will not be published. The practices exhibited in Yoruban culture show the structure of both a social and economical factors. Do you believe that this item violates a copyright? The culture represents "the way of life for an entire society", as noted in Pragmatic Functions of Crisis Motivated Proverbs in Ola Rotimi's The Gods Are Not to Blame. This handsome little of joy kill his father and marry his mother. Rotimi spent the second half of his last creative decade reworking two of his plays Man Talk, Woman Talk and also Tororo, Tororo, Roro and the result, unpublished at the time of his death in 2002, have now been published under the title The Epilogue. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. Rotimi often examined Nigeria's history and local traditions in his works. Indeed, culture is the way of life. I liked it but was confused until I realized the pages were not in order. Focusing on the Yoruba tradition, Ola Rotimi spotlights Yoruba gods, giving Sango, Orunmila, Ifa, and Ogun prominent roles throughout the book as King Odewale, King Adetusa (Odewales father), Queen Ojuola (Odewales mother), Aderopo (Odewales brother), the Chiefs and other characters in the book refer to them often. : (1979) If: A Tragedy of the Ruledin If, the young firebrand Hamidu is nowhere to be found when a real commitment is required. Aderopo arrives and is immediately confronted by Odewale about his suspicions. One day, an old man accompanied by five bodyguards invaded his farmland and claimed the land to be his. (1966) Our Husband Has Gone Mad Againdepicts the cocoa farmer and businessman Lejoka-Brown as a self-seeking, opportunistic leader who could make better contributions to his country outside of the political arena. Olawale Gladstone Emmanuel Rotimi, best known as Ola Rotimi (13 April 1938 18 August 2000), was one of Nigeria's leading playwrights and theatre directors. What first swims up to the surface of my memory when I remember this novel is "the place where three footpaths met". Learn more. He has been called "a complete man of the theatre an actor, director, choreographer and designer who created performance spaces, influenced by traditional architectural forms.". He is found and picked up by a farmer hunter Ogundele and raised by him along with his wife Mobe. Who is to blame in the play? Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them. The priest of Ifa, Baba Fakunle (a blind soothsayer) cast his opele and said; This child would kill his father and marry his own mother. , Enhanced typesetting + Follow. She was given a prophecy, along with King Adetusa, that their child, Odewale, would one day grow up to usurp the thrown, killing his father and marry his mother. King Adetusa: Former king of Kutuje. Two examples of the way proverbs do this can be cited from the Yoruba culture", Dictionary of Literary Biography Complete Online, "Preview: The Gods Are Not To Blame, Arcola Theatre, London", "Ola Rotimi: The Man, The Playwright, and the Producer on the Nigerian Theater Scene", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Gods_Are_Not_to_Blame&oldid=1101435945, Plays based on ancient Greek and Roman plays, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from July 2015, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 31 July 2022, at 01:20. Ogundele and his wife Mobike who had no child cared for Odewale. In the Yoruban culture, like many others, have symbolic. Photo: NZ Herald. There is a great deal of wit in the work and the setting here is the university environment where the youthful contenders are idealistic. The fourth chapter will deal with the similarities and the contrasts in . Similar in nature to the Greek play, Oedipus Tyrannus his royal parents receive a prophecy from Baba Fakunle that Odewale would grow up to kill his parents. Diminutive in size but a giant in drama in Africa, he was one of the best things that could have happened to the literary community. By juxtaposing Alaka in Odewale's new environment, Kutuje, Rotimi illustrates the cultural differences between traditional Yoruban life, with that of the industrialized west. Rotimi seals Odewale's fate by having an omen placed over his life at birth. : Backwards Ever, Forward Never: Too Late for Anything Book Review, Oedipus, Whos to Blame? Along with the Ogun Priest, it is revealed to him that the old king was his father, and that Ojuola was his mother. He is found and picked up by a farmer hunter Ogundele and raised by him along with his wife Mobe. After a dispute, Baba Fakunle calls Odewale a "murderer," alluding to the assault that occurred on the yam patch in Ede, in which Odewale kills King Adetusa, unknowingly his father. They both fought using their mystical powers but the old man appeared to be more powerful. She was given a prophecy, along with King Adetusa, that their child, Odewale, would one day grow up to usurp the thrown, killing his father and marry his mother. An ending that really breaks one's heart. During their time of sickness, the townspeople solely depend on the herbs used as an attempt to cure the "curse" put on the people. that we shld not let our temper let us into other bad things that we are going to regret later in the future because it is going to affect us very badly like Odewale's temper lead him to his grave that should not happen to any reasonable humanbeign who have consience. Because of its subject matter, The Gods Are Not to Blame is the most accessible of his plays. He added that they saw a man in the bush of Ipetu with a baby wrapped in white cloth with his arms and feet tied with strings of cowries. In this play the theme of Sopocles' Oedipus Rex is skillfully transplanted to African soil. Odewale storms Kutuje with his chiefs flanking by his side, and is declared King by the town's first chief. Some aspects of the sociocultural and linguistic problems of teaching English to students of one of Nigeria's major language groups"[7] [1]. Aderopo is also accused of spreading the rumor that Odewale was the one who murdered the old king, Adetusa. His first plays, To Stir the God of Iron (produced 1963) and Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again (produced 1966; published 1977), were staged at the drama schools of Boston University and Yale, respectively. Gbonka was present when King Adetusa was slain at the hands of Odewale. 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